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Where Should A Franchisor Set Up Its Headquarters?

By James Goniea
August 02, 2013

What is the best location in the United States for a franchisor to set up its headquarters? That is the question I recently posed to the ABA Forum on Franchising Listserv. The query elicited a flurry of fascinating responses, many of them quite detailed and well-considered.

Most of those responding felt that their own city and state was the “best” place for a franchisor to be headquartered. I suppose that is understandable because: 1) most people live where they do by choice and, presumably, do so because they like it there; and 2) franchise attorneys are always eager to have more franchisors nearby who might serve as sources of potential work. However, after sifting through the responses and discounting local bias, there appeared to be at least a general consensus concerning the factors that should be considered in deciding where a franchisor, given the choice, should set up its headquarters (even while there was considerably less agreement concerning actual geographic location). Below, in no particular order, are the factors that people responding to my inquiry most frequently identified.

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